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How precious are Your thoughts to me, O LORD ... how vast is the sum of them!

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Winner Announced and Things that Inspire in Me a Story: Flax into Linen

First: business. We have the giveaway winner of the PDF Rising to the Challenge to announce!

Drum roll, please!

And the copy of this exciting medieval novel goes to ...

Faith Blum!

Congratulations, Faith! We will be contacting you shortly.

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway!

~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wow!
It seems like a while since I’ve actually posted a regular ole
article on here, but the fact is I’ve been busy with other writing
and there have been other, more convenient things to put on here,
such as book reviews and promotions for some wonderful writers.

But
before I move on to my subject, it’s update time … England
Adventure is uploaded on CreateSpace and ready to go, but there
have been some delays with the cover, so it’s not quite publishable
yet. But it will be soon! Thank you for your patience. I look forward
to sharing this book with you!

On
the final Sunday of last November, a gorgeous day, I was feeling a
bit stir-crazy … oh, I had writing to work on (there is always
writing), but I felt a definite need to physically get out of the
house and not just send my mind elsewhere. So my mom and I went to an
annual weekend fair that we’ve gone to for many years in the past
but hadn’t attended for a while.

It’s
called a homestead and craft fair, for the people who put it on
devote part of their lives to keeping alive the skills of olden days
… weaving, blacksmithing, growing food, sewing quilts, making soap,
forming pottery, crafting furniture, raising animals, and more. At
this fair they sell their items and demonstrate their knowledge to an
audience of thousands, many of whom are normally contained within a
hectic, disconnected world of traffic, technology, and city life. I
know for me, it’s a rejuvenating dip into the past and proves that
working with your hands and being familiar with the natural world is
good for a healthy wellbeing.

While
I was there, I couldn’t help thinking how seeing all these old ways
of doing things would provide a historical fiction or fantasy author
with great research fodder. Imagine writing about a Scottish family
that weaves and how much easier it’d be if you saw a loom in motion
and a blanket taking shape and were able to get one-on-one answers
for any questions about the process. The two demonstrations that
particularly fascinated me were horse training and linen making.

My
mom loves to wear linen clothes, and I always feel a timeless,
natural, healthful aura around the textile. Like wool, it makes me
think of the past because linen was important in ancient times; it’s
mentioned all over the Bible. Cotton is more recent and more
ubiquitous. But only when I saw the process of flax becoming linen
did I really realize how special it was.

Looking
at a flax plant, a piece of woven material seems worlds away. The
most striking thing about flax’s early weeks are the sky-blue
flowers that, pooled together, look like a field dropped from heaven.
When the plants are harvested, all their parts are used for something
useful: flaxseed becomes a food, an oil, a nutritional supplement,
and a wood finishing product; flax stems become linen; and chaff from
the process becomes nesting material or (in olden day) pillow and
mattress stuffing. Linen is two­–three
times stronger than cotton and lasts so long it can be an heirloom.
It’s fascinating to see the dried stems get pounded into fibers
that look like hair (“Girl with the Flaxen Hair,” anyone?),
carded like wool, and then spun (I love spinning wheels!) into
thread. It can be dyed, bleached, or left natural.

Here is a beautiful video that demonstrates the whole process!

I
think what thrills me most about flax is how every part has been
indispensable to humans since ancient times … the fact that it’s
so useful testifies it was specially created to benefit us, God’s
beloved creation.

So,
perhaps one day a family of flax farmers or linen weavers will be the
feature of a fiction of mine. That’s where story ideas often
start—a small image or concept that can be
connected to others and grown and woven into a beautiful cloth.

What
old-fashioned crafts thrill you? Has researching or already knowing
how to do a handicraft or old sport (cooking, knitting, archery, et
cetera) informed your stories?

5 comments:

Congrats to Faith! I love little story ideas that appear out of nowhere and remain on our minds until they're written into a story. Linen weaving is such an inspiring creative thought . :-) I've considered learning to crochet or knit. It's rejuvenating to work with our hands in this tech-filled world.

Thank you for your comment! It's great that these ideas stay and, for the most part, wait patiently until you can use them. : ) Crocheting or knitting would be very relaxing and rejuvenating! I've knitted a scarf and a hat but would want to do more.

Yayyy that England Adventure is almost ready!! That is so exciting! :D EEE. ^_^ *holds breath waiting for cover*

Ooh, yes, fair-thing! That's cool you went. ^_^ Spinning is so fascinating, isn't it? I once did a little bit of drop-spindle with some wool, and it was HARD. I don't know how they do it so perfectly. XD

I haven't knitted or crocheted in a long time... I do want to start again, I just have so many other things to do! But yes, knowing how to do something can offer great inspiration. :)

Wow, that's interesting you even did a little bit of drop-spindling! I remember reading a book where a little girl of 4, 5, or thereabouts doing that ... so that must be how they do it so perfectly. Years and years of work!

I've wanted to knit again, too, but I know what you mean about other things to do ... I have to need a break, and I have to be in the mood. :)

About Me

I am a disciple of Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah of Israel, and I strive to make His teachings the rule of my life. I love to write, mainly novels, and I am working to use that to glorify my Lord. I love to study the Bible, Israel, classic literature, history, classical music, martial arts, and lots of other subjects. There are so many things to do and learn!